This invention relates to pneumatic tractor tires designed for use on the drive axle positions of farm tractors and like vehicles.
The trend to consolidate separate smaller parcels of land into larger farming operations has necessitated the driving of farm tractors over the hard surface roadways connecting the separate parcels on a regular basis. Such operating conditions make the ride characteristics of tractor tires an important design consideration, along with the draw-bar traction characteristics required for operating the tractor in a field where the soil composition often presents a serious traction problem.
It is well known in the tire designing technology that design features aimed primarily at providing the high draw-bar traction characteristics needed with a tractor tire is operated in a field may result in less than desirable ride comfort characteristics when the same tractor tire is operated on a hard surface roadway, and vice versa. Heretofore, tractor tires produced in an effort to provide the desired operating characteristics for both on and off-the-road use, such as the tires described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,370, issued to E. W. Hylbert et al, had to make trade-offs between draw-bar traction and ride performance levels, because it was felt that a design change aimed at improving operating characteristics on hard surfaces necessarily resulted in poorer off-the-road operating characteristics.
It is an object of this invention to provide a pneumatic tire for use on the drive axle positions of a farm tractor, or like vehicle, that has improved ride operating characteristics when operated on a hard surface roadway, without any lessening in draw-bar traction when the tire is operated off the road.